MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The city of Minneapolis says the looting and property damage that following the death of George Floyd in police custody has caused least $55 million in destruction so far.
Vandals damaged or set fire to at least 220 buildings, but that number is expected to go up, city officials said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will ask for state and federal aid to help rebuild after the civil unrest. Until that happens, community members are pitching in to support Minneapolis neighborhoods.
More than $1 million has been raised to help businesses in north Minneapolis, WCCO-TV reported. The West Broadway Business and Area Coalition says it will announce how they plan to use the money in the coming weeks.
The violence follows the death of Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck, ignoring Floyd’s cries that he couldn’t breathe.
Prosecutors Wednesday upgraded charges against the officer, Derek Chauvin, to second-degree murder and charged three other officers with aiding and abetting in the case that has rocked the nation with protests over race and police brutality.
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